


Just This Once

by femmeGeneticist



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy Era, F/M, Pre-Series, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-09 10:02:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1978692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/femmeGeneticist/pseuds/femmeGeneticist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting selected to study at the S.H.I.E.L.D academy is more than either of them could have hoped for, top of their previous schools or not. Being put in a school of geniuses causes Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons to become even more determined to beat the rest of their classmates for the top spot. Until they realize that their competition may be their greatest asset. How Fitzsimmons became Fitzsimmons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The S.H.I.E.L.D academy. Jemma found it to be one of those concepts that seemed to be completely separate from the actual world. She had this image in her head that those who were recruited for the academy really had no choice. You went to bed one night and woke up the next morning in a new one and that was it; you were now training to be a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. She certainly didn’t expect a suited man to appear in her lab with an envelope and a request for a moment of her busy time.

“I’m sorry Mister…?”

“Agent Sitwell.”

“Well, I’m sorry, Mr. Agent Sitwell, sir, but-”

“Just Agent Sitwell is fine, Miss Simmons.”

“Agent Sitwell, then. I’m sorry but I don’t think I quite understand you. You’re here to bring me to the S.H.I.E.L.D academy?”

“I’m here to inform you that you’ve been offered admission to the scientific operations faculty of the academy, should you wish to pursue it. Unlike some of our other operations, SciOps actively seeks out the best and brightest from around the world to offer the opportunity to join something larger than themselves. You’ll be defending your thesis for your second PhD in the next month, are you not, Miss Simmons?”

Jemma paused. “Yes, the 14th of March, sir.”

“Well even without the second PhD, your record more than qualifies you for the academy.” Agent Sitwell leafed through his folders. “Bachelors from Cambridge at the top of your class, when you were 18. First doctorate research done at Oxford, and finished at the age of 21. And the methodology behind your research projects shows a highly innovative level of comprehension and practical applications.”

Jemma attempted to hide the pride swelling in her chest. “When you say it like that, it certainly sounds impressive, sir. Though, honestly, I’ve never really thought much about working with S.H.I.E.L.D, always seemed a rather American organization.”

“While it was founded by American military and scientific personal, S.H.I.E.L.D has become an international organization that does not align itself within any borders. Should you choose to study at our academy, you will be working with the top young minds hand-picked from around the globe. That much I can assure you, Miss Simmons.”  
Jemma struggled to think of something to say, this was so much and so fast.

“It can be a bit overwhelming when you’re first approached,” Agent Sitwell continued. “I have for you here all the information, about the academy and our organization, that you could need. In addition, I’ve included my card should you have any further inquiries. You have some time to think about you decision, Miss Simmons, your semester begins like any other school, in the fall.” Agent Sitwell handed her the thick envelope and rose from his seat. “I hope to see you then.”

He extended a hand to her which she shook. “Thank you, Agent Sitwell. This is quite an honour. I hope to speak with you again, sir.”

Jemma found she was unable to focus on her bacterial cultures after the agent left her lab. She set up the centrifuge with the previous day’s experimental results and removed herself from the lab with little pomp or circumstance.

She wandered around the familiar campus in a daze, a part of her mind wondering where her feet would take her, but the majority focused on the heavy envelope in her arms. Had she any close friends, she mused, she would have thought this to be a rather obnoxious joke, but given there was no one here that was close enough to her for this kind of effort it was not a very probable hypothesis.

She was vaguely aware of herself opening the library door and finding a favourite chair, separate from most of the others and tucked in a corner window of the third floor. She stared at the envelope a moment; plain, beige, seemingly ordinary save for the S.H.I.E.L.D emblem. With shaking hands she opened the envelope.

There were no ‘just kidding!’ notes inside, no hidden message. This was real. Inside, she found information on the academy, the requirements for applicants, what is expected of future agents, information on top of information. Jemma sat in front of the papers for hours, poring over everything this place had to offer. The staff seemed incredible, top minds from all over the globe, most of whom had published papers that had intrigued Jemma in her undergrad.

By the time she returned to her apartment, she was certain of her decision. Not that she told her parents that when she called, they liked to maintain an illusion of control in Jemma’s academic decisions. Her mother rapidly spoke about all of her concerns about the States (“You know they all have guns over there Jemma. You could get yourself killed”) and her father just wanted to make sure this wasn’t another case of her being pressured by a teacher. But at the end of the day, they’ve known for a long time that Jemma can be trusted to know what’s best for herself.

That night, Jemma laid in her bed and stared at the ceiling. This was real. She was going to the S.H.I.E.L.D academy. The truly number one school in the world. She didn’t sleep much that night; it was going to be a long wait for the fall. Unless they really do come and grab you in the middle of the night, in which case, the wait wouldn’t be as long as she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the product of a lot of shouty headcanons between me and my amazing beta, [Andrea](http://www.littlestitchwitch.tumblr.com). The rest of the chapters will be significantly longer


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are so great and I am so happy to be bringing this chapter to you!

The S.H.I.E.L.D academy was massive. Even larger than the brochure made it look, which was saying something. As he hefted his suitcases onto a hands-free carrier of his own invention, Leopold Fitz surveyed the campus with a silent appreciation. There was something almost electric in the air, the way the students buzzed; he could tell he was in a place that really fit, with people whose intellect could actually rival his own. And he planned to crush each and every one of them in every class, project, or event they encountered.

His mom, teary eyed and solitary at the airport, had always said he was wasted on the schools he attended, from Harvard to MIT, they just didn’t deserve his unbridled genius. Maybe this was where he was actually meant to be. He blasted off an ‘I’m safe’ text to her and walked to his assigned dorm, suitcases dutifully hovering behind him.

No one was really talking to each other yet. There were rooms to fill, posters to hang, crying parents to say goodbye to. Fitz was accustomed to the silence. He moved his equipment in and then set about to stacking his books and hanging his clothes. His room was a single, most everyone’s was, enough room for one person with a creative mind that needed room to fiddle. As an engineer, Fitz’s room included a sturdy wooden desk for his experiments.

The atmosphere here was so different, Fitz noted, even in the dorms. There were no upper year glorified babysitters running about knocking on doors and scheduling “floor meetings” and “family dinners.” Grateful but jetlagged and emotionally drained, Fitz decided to retire early that night.

 

* * *

 

The next day was set aside for the agents in training to get settled before starting into their classes/training. The halls were filled with nervous energy. And Jemma found herself in the thick of it.

She had awoken to a knock on her door and been greeted by two girls who looked only a few years older than herself.

“A bunch of us are getting food in 20 minutes to get to know each other before classes, if you wanted to come?” The taller girl had said, wearing a pink sundress and a slight bounce in her stance.

“Uhm, sure. I just need to get myself sorted, can’t very well be running around in my nightie.” Jemma replied, “Where are you all meeting?”

“Just in the common area down the hall.” The girl smiled. “I’m Kalpana, by the way, like the astronaut. And this is Junghee.” She added, indicating the other girl.

“Wonderful to meet you” Jemma extended her hand to each girl, “I’m Jemma Simmons. But you can just call me Simmons, almost everyone does.”

“We’re saying we’re leaving at 2:30 but, being realistic, it’ll be closer to 2:45 once everyone gets rounded up over here. So there’s a little more time to get ready, at least” Kalpana added.

“All right, I’ll be by shortly.” Jemma promised, smiling as she shut the door. She’d never been the most popular of people; childhood genius has a way of isolating a person quite effectively. But maybe, amongst other brilliant people, she could find at least one real friend.

It was 3 by the time their group actually left to find some food. Most of their floor ended up showing up and Jemma couldn’t believe the quality of intellects that she was surrounded with. Everyone held at least one PhD, most having achieved them at a younger than average level. People casually discussed scientific theory, compared theses, debated current experiment potentials. It was more than she had hoped for. She jogged ahead to walk with Kalpana.

“Quite the group you managed to gather.” she commented.

“It is a little surprising; I thought more would be a put off by getting to know each other. I’m sure you know how it is; everyone who is remotely close to your level is an immediate threat.” Kalpana laughed softly, “Don’t get me wrong, there were some. One boy was already deep in some invention that he, no lie, literally didn’t even hear me ask if he wanted to come. It’s like I was totally invisible.”

“That is certainly dedication to your work.” Jemma laughed. “So, what’s your field, Kalpana?”

“Biotech. S.H.I.E.L.D found me working on neuroprosthetics in the private sector when I was recruited. I certainly didn’t mind moving my research forward. Beats some underfunded academia lab for sure. The labs here are supposedly beyond compare.” She replied.

“I understand that. I can’t wait to get my hands on some of that technology.”

“What about you? What’s your area of expertise?”

“Biochemistry, mostly. I entertained a brief stint in bioengineering, but it was pretty short lived. I much prefer to get my hands dirty than make some equipment to do it for me.”

“Well I think I understand both sides of that argument better than most.” Kalpana laughed. “Still, pretty crazy to just get approached by some man in black with the school of your dreams, though. I almost had to physically drag Junghee with me.” Kalpana said as she bumped the smaller girl with her hip.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with our setup at the old place. The company was ethical, we knew our lab well, and we were both using our research to really help people. Who knows what this place is like.” Junghee replied, deadpan, with an eyeroll.

“Always the ray of sunshine, this one.” Kalpana laughed as she wrapped an affectionate arm around the smaller girl’s shoulders. “We really are excited to be here. Just a big change for us. But the lab tech is out of this world and we haven’t been able to find anything bad about the group so everything’s looking pretty great.”

Jemma smiled. She let the good-natured bickering of the two women wash over her as she took a moment to just absorb the energy around her. Their group moved in an easy synchronism towards the cafeteria, conversations flowed with a little more ease than the usual freshmen interaction.

Her meal was peppered with a friendly debate among the biologists and chemists over the merits of a recent potential breakthrough in next generation sample analysis. It may have been one of her best meals in a while, though she couldn’t remember what she had eaten.

She went off on her own afterwards with a promise to help Kalpana and Junghee hang the posters in their room after class the next day. Figuring her first day of classes would be quite busy, she decided to finish all her unpacking today and get all her materials together.

After grabbing a to-go meal on her way back from getting supplies (she had, admittedly, also gotten lost in her wanderings), Jemma spent her night getting her room in perfect order. Textbooks alphabetized on the shelf. Periodic table on the wall by her desk. Colour-coordinated notebooks and pens set out and labelled for each set of coursework. She slept incredibly peacefully that night.

 

* * *

 

To remove bad habits picked up from years of lab work under less regulated tutelage, all new students are required to take a lab methods refresher course. It was a complete waste of time in Fitz’s mind but there wasn’t much he could do about that. He simply hoped that whatever beaker-pushing lab jockey he was saddled with was at least moderately competent so this course could be moderately bearable.

He picked a lab desk set aside from the bulk of the room, hoping he may be able to work in solitude. Having accidentally arrived 25 minutes early, he sat at his table and scribbled ideas in his notebook. Designs, delivery mechanisms, most of which would never come to fruition but at least got his mind going.

He watched the classroom fill as it approached 8:00. Most seemed to have someone with them that they were eager to work with, Fitz took this as a good sign. Shortly before 8 a quiet voice broke through his musing.

“Excuse me? Is anyone sitting here?”

Fitz looked up. The voice belonged to a smaller brunette girl with a British accent and a pink tie.

“No, it’s not, go ahead if you want.” He replied, turning to his notebook again.

“I’m Simmons.” She continued, leaning towards him as she sat, “Jemma Simmons, actually, but most people just call me Simmons so you can do that, too, if you’d like.” She offered her hand to him.

He took it briefly. “Fitz.” She was a talker. Great. This was going to be a long term.


	3. Chapter 3

Jemma loudly tapped away at her laptop waiting for the chronically late lab coordinator to show up, ignoring the occasional exaggerated sighs coming from the seat next to her. She had hoped for a like mind in her new lab course, having been paired with the other youngest entrant, someone to pass the repetitive and entirely unnecessary hours relearning the skills she had perfected years ago. The past week had shown this was not the case.

Fitz had already proven himself to be anything but cooperative. Yes, he did the work they had to but that was the extent of his participation. He had shut down any attempts to engage in conversation and spent the majority of the lab writing in a grey journal that he carried with himself constantly. His intelligence was apparent in their few interactions but his social skills certainly left a lot to be desired.

Jemma was pulled from her musings by the hurried arrival of the coordinator.

“Sorry, sorry, got caught up on a paper.” The high-energy scientist shouted as he made his way to the front of the lab. He slapped his bag on his desktop while pulling on his lab coat. “Okay, so, today our focus is going to be on maintaining an optimal sterile environment while working with unknown pathogens. You’ll find quite quickly in SHIELD that we actually don’t know a whole lot when we are first given an assignment. So if a bunch of guys in biohazard gear show up in your lab, you’re gonna want to be able to handle yourself. No one wants a scary alien virus.” The coordinator laughed to himself as he wrote out the methodology on the board.

As Jemma eagerly took their petri dishes of “unknown pathogens”, Jemma noticed movement next to her. Fitz had become much stiffer, his jaw clenched. She turned to the generally stoic engineer.

“Are you alright?” she asked in a low voice.

“I’m fine.” He snapped. “I just don’t see why this is relevant. I work with machines, not… life forms.” He subtly shifted from the dish on their bench.

“Well, it can’t hurt to learn –you never know what will happen out in the field.” Jemma said, “But it’s probably more worthwhile for me to learn, if you’d like me to take the lead on this one.” She knew this behaviour anywhere, the impenetrable engineer was afraid of the biological.

An expression of relief quickly flashed across his face. “Yeah, sure. If that would make you more comfortable –I mean.”

Jemma turned to get their supplies together, hiding her smirk.

* * *

Fitz had hung back for most of the lab, watching the talkative biochemist work. Not because he was scared –he told himself –it was just an unnecessary use of his time. And besides, it is rational to want to avoid microscopic agents, you can’t see them if they are near enough to harm you, at least you would see a laser beam coming.

He was quite pleased to return to the solace of his room. He had been working on a new design, a method of painless and needle-free intravenous liquid delivery. He’d been knocking around the idea in his head for a while after a recent Star Trek binge.

Settling in at his desk, Fitz pulled out some of the mechanics redesigns he had been writing out during that lab. Allowing his mind to wander while the girl worked had given him a breakthrough on the device-to-skin contact point.

He had just begun to work out the math when there was a knock at his door. The biochemist was standing in the doorframe.

“Sorry, it was open; I hope I’m not intruding.” She said, not moving from the hall.

“It’s fine.” He replied, turning in his chair, “what do you need?”

“I just noticed that you were in my Advanced Numerical Methods lecture and, well, I take my notes by hand and I kind of accidentally spilled a little of this solution I was working with on them. Well, long story short, the biohazard people took them away and I was hoping for a copy of yours? I didn’t want to bother you but I don’t know anyone else in the class yet.”

“Uh, I guess, sure. Come in, let me find them.” Fitz rummaged through his papers til he found a black notebook. “My lab notes are in there, too, but it should be fine. I won’t need them anytime soon.”

As he turned to hand the book, he noticed an out of breath Korean girl appear in his doorway.

“Jemma?” she poked her head in the room, “Oh finally. I just heard Kalpana was in an accident in her mechanical engineering design lab.”

The biochemist turned sharply, “Oh no, is she alright? What happened?”

“Apparently one of her designs shorted out and shot around the room, it smashed up a bunch of stuff and she’s hurt. I don’t know how bad, do you think you’d come with me?” there was uncharacteristic worry in the small girl’s eyes.

“Yeah, of course, let’s go.” Jemma said, heading for the door.

“Wait.” Fitz called, “Did you say it was the mechanical engineering design lab?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh crap. I’m coming with you two.” Fitz said, grabbing his sweater. His last prototype for the hypospray was in there, he had to make sure it was intact.

The trio took off towards the engineering building.

* * *

As they ran, Jemma saw the worry lines on Junghee’s face.

“Don’t worry. Kalpana is very smart and she has good instincts, I’m sure she’s totally fine.”

Junghee didn’t respond.

As they reached the lab a couple of supervisors were standing around outside talking to each other.

“Are we alright to go inside? We’re friends of Kalpana, we just want to make sure she’s alright.” Jemma asked the most official-looking of the adults.

“Yeah, sure.” The man grunted, moving out of her way.

There was a fair amount of smashed electronics on several tables, Fitz took off as soon as he saw this towards a table near the back.

Kalpana was sitting on a table near the front of the room, talking to another supervisor. Junghee ran to her.

As Jemma and Junghee reached Kalpana, the supervisor walked off, leaving them to talk.

“I’m so sorry for scaring you.” Kalpana said to Junghee, wrapping her left arm around the smaller girl. “My phone got smashed or I would have called to let you know what happened. I’m okay, just a little bruised.”

“You really need to be more careful.” Junghee said, looking pointedly at Kalpana, “You could have been seriously hurt.”

“Oh not this again-”

Jemma stepped away to give the two some space as they bickered. She moved to a further bench where Fitz was still bent over some electronics.

“Hopefully this isn’t rude, but that looks just like a hypospray from Star Trek.” Jemma said moving around the table to look at the device in Fitz’s hands.

He looked at her in surprise. “Actually, that’s exactly what it is. Or will be once I work out some kinks in the delivery mechanism.” He eyed her cautiously. “It’s not as impressive as a dermal regenerator or anything though.”

She grinned. “Though that tech would be useful even with a hypospray. Way more sterile. You could counteract-“

“Counteract the multiple entry points in the hypospray and seal them right back up, yeah.” He finished with a small smile.

There was a pause before Kalpana shouted, “Hey Jemma, while you’re here, I meant to say. There’s a mixer in a couple weeks you should come to. We’ll have to find SO’s next year so this is a pretty excellent way to get on some good sides. Oh, and your friend should come, too!”

“Oh uh yeah, that could be fun.” Jemma called back, “Just message me the info and I’ll pass it along to him.”

She turned to Fitz, “If you’re interested, I mean.”

“I guess.” The engineer paused. “It doesn’t sound too awful.”

“I have to run to class, but thanks for the notes Fitz. I really appreciate it. And I’m glad your hypospray is okay.” She smiled, moving to leave the room.

“Thanks.” He smiled back, “See you in lab.”

Her smile lingered as she walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, big thanks to [Andrea](littlestitchwitch.tumblr.com) for being an awesome beta and listening to me ramble at all hours!


End file.
